The Tall and Lanky Man's Guide to Fitness

Congratulations, you're naturally good at blocking people's views at concert. But working out when you're tall and lean takes a few adjustments to maximize your fitness routine.

Of all the physical traits, my guess is being tall is the best one. (Then again, I’m short so what do I know?) I imagine a life where I look down on everyone (literally), have good views at concerts, and am always assumed to be great at basketball. Hell, even being tall AND LANKY isn’t half bad. I mean, damn, you’re already tall; all you need is a few tweaks to your fitness and nutrition to fill out your body and transform your physique. Here’s your game plan:

Add size

Here’s a common scenario: Tall guy wants bigger biceps. I ask how much he weighs and he says something like, “150.” Well, the problem isn’t your biceps; it’s that you’re lighter than the average woman.

To find your target bodyweight, take your height in centimeters and subtract by 100: that’s your goal weight in kilograms (i.e. 6ft = 183cm. 183 – 100 = 83. 83kg = 183lbs). To get there, eat five to six times a day and inhale good protein, carbs, and veggies with every meal. It’s not easy, but once you reach your target bodyweight, you’re solid.

Do joint-friendly exercises

With long arms and legs, traditional strength exercises—back squats, deadlifts, etc.—can put more stress on your joints. (And you’ll miss those when they’re gone.) Instead, use joint-friendly variations. For example, substitute back squats with reverse lunges, deadlifts with hip bridges, bench presses with weighted pushups, and military presses with landmine presses. Your shoulders, knees, and back will thank you.

Get that pump

Build slabs of muscle to fill your frame with set-and-rep programs that have a lot of volume. For example, do at least 5 sets of each exercise with 8 to 10 reps, which will stimulate a lot of muscle growth (aka “hypertrophy”). Also, use clusters: do 3 reps of an exercise, take a 5 second break, and do another 3 reps—now, you can do more reps with a heavier weight than if you just did those 6 reps without rest.

Add width

Tall guys need width so they don’t look like sticks with legs. Focus on your shoulder and back muscles to widen your upper body and draw attention away from your height. (Add plenty of overhead presses, push presses, and lateral raises to develop your shoulders and use pullups, dumbbell rows, and cable rows for your back.) Also, target your lower body to thicken your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Rather than having one dedicated “leg day” per week—which you may or may not do—train your legs every time you lift weights. They can handle it.